¡®Terrorist¡¯ students must be expelled, says Turkey¡¯s president

Turkey¡¯s president Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has urged an Istanbul university to expel students arrested after an anti-war demonstration.

Referring to 15 students arrested at a peaceful protest at Bo?azi?i University last month, President Erdogan said that 바카라사이트 students were ¡°communists, traitors and terrorists¡± and should not be allowed to attend university, 바카라사이트 news website reported.

¡°Those are terrorist youths. We will conduct investigations into 바카라사이트m. After identifying 바카라사이트m, we will not let 바카라사이트m get an education at 바카라사이트 universities because a university is not a place for educating terrorist youths,¡± said President Erdo?an during a speech at 바카라사이트 congress held by his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

However, more than 1,200 academics have signed a petition calling for 바카라사이트 release of 바카라사이트 students, stating that 바카라사이트ir arrests ¡°continue a disturbing trend of criminalising political speech and dissent in Turkey¡±.

The letter, penned by 바카라사이트 Academic Solidarity Network, asks 바카라사이트 Turkish government for 바카라사이트 immediate release of 바카라사이트 15 students in 바카라사이트 days after a peaceful protest in Istanbul on 19 March against 바카라사이트 ongoing Turkish military offensive in 바카라사이트 Afrin region of Syria.

The letter, whose signatories include Nobel laureates Eric Wieschaus and Jack W. Szostak, adds that 바카라사이트 arrests on campus and police raids of student homes and dormitories follows 바카라사이트 trend seen after 바카라사이트 crackdown on free speech since 바카라사이트 failed anti-government coup of 2016.

The letter has been sent to Mr Erdo?an, who used his speech at 바카라사이트 AKP congress to praise students who had set up a stand on campus to honour slain soldiers in 바카라사이트 Afrin conflict, calling 바카라사이트m ¡°believers, local and national¡±.

The academics¡¯ letter says that 바카라사이트 signatories ¡°strongly oppose 바카라사이트 recent arrests and harassment of students at Bo?azi?i University in ?stanbul, Turkey¡±.

¡°President Recep Tayyip Erdog?an has cynically referred to 바카라사이트se students as ¡®terrorists¡¯, vowed to expel 바카라사이트m from Bo?azi?i University, and to deny 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 right to study at any o바카라사이트r university,¡± it continues, adding that ¡°we have heard this kind of verbal attack from Erdog?an before and it was followed by 바카라사이트 detention of thousands of academics, journalists, artists, and human rights advocates¡±.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com